Their research on the testing habits of gay and bisexual men in New York has found that wide majorities of men are testing for HIV on a frequent basis. For instance, about 90 percent of Black and Latino men who were surveyed had tested in the previous year. This compares with about 70 percent of Asian/Pacific Islander men and 70 percent of white men.

Despite these high levels of testing, Halkitis and Siconolfi argue that testing alone, without pre- and post-test counseling, can result in a false sense of protection for men who engage in risky sex. Since it takes several weeks for a test to detect HIV antibodies following an infection, testing that occurs close to the time of the infection may result in a "false negative" result.

The authors argue that pre- and post-test counseling is crucial to "correctly assess the client's level of risk and to contextualize the results within the window period. ... The counseling session is a crucial and limited window of opportunity to provide information and skills that can help an individual remain HIV-negative."